Sharing recon information

[jimbiggs]

I don't know if anyone else does this. I'm starting to make lists of DD dealers and record their pen. That way when I go back to X casino, I don't have to spend a lot of time figuring out which dealer has the best pen.

There have been a couple of times when I was in a casino that's known to have poor DD penetration, but I found three or four dealers that were dealing out 70%. So whenever I pass by that casino, I stop by to see who's on the DD tables that night.

Another thing that got me started on this...why play with a dealer who puts the cut card in at 72 cards, when the dealer on the next table cuts it at 80?

I'm sure we all have our favorite dealers and this wouldn't be the type of thing to publicize on the internet, but it could be very helpful information. Does anyone have any comments on this?

I guess the question is, should good information be shared or should it be kept a secret?

[RJT]

The question i'd be asking is what do i stand to gain from sharing this information.
I've done my own recon on all the casinos i play. I know the best dealers, what shifts they play, what penetration they give, what style of shuffle they perform (where i play, there is not 'house' shuffle, each dealer has their own), if they flash cards and where, whether or not they use a back card ect ect.
Now as much as having some information on venues that i haven't scouted would be useful if i was making a weekend trip to a new area, i just don't know that it would be useful enough - never mind reliable enough - to justify giving out the information i have. At the end of the day, i have eyes and i trust them over anyone else

RJT.

[Walt]

While I agree with much of what RJT says, sharing info on a limited basis can be quite useful. If I go to Vegas and have to do my own scouting, by the time I find what I'm looking for, I'm exhausted and the shift is nearly over. Of course I would have a dealer name, but there is a good chance he/she would not be on that game again during my brief stay. Very frustrating!
For this reason I've worked out a "trade policy". If a visiting AP comes to my area, I'll tip him off to two or three possibilities. And of course, I get reciprocation. A huge time saver. But there are no guarantees. Knowing that "Debbie" on swing at Bellagio is great at DD is of little use if she is on a shoe game all week. But with so much territory to cover, I'll take any help I can get.
My suggestion is if you have some trustworthy AP friends, it's ok to share some information. But much would depend on how much you play that particular game and how likely your friends are to burn it out.

[Automatic Monkey]

It depends an awful lot on the kind of game you are talking about too. The example Walt gives is an obvious reference to a very powerful form of AP that can be very easily burned out, even by a single player. But to share with a person you know is a player and not in casino management that "Debbie" is giving good pen on 6D while "Paul" is cutting out over 2 decks, stay away from him, is information of value to your colleagues that is not likely to hurt the opportunity.

Shuffle parameters are one thing I'll never discuss in public and never even in private other than with a player I believe might be ready to try sequencing and tracking. One reason is that the shuffle is something a casino can change at will (albeit with a lot of hassle to them) and the other reason is it's very easy to get yourself in trouble with shuffle-based techniques and I wouldn't want to encourage a rookie to run in there and try it thinking it's easy money.

[bj bob]

Originally Posted by Automatic Monkey

It depends an awful lot on the kind of game you are talking about too. The example Walt gives is an obvious reference to a very powerful form of AP that can be very easily burned out, even by a single player. But to share with a person you know is a player and not in casino management that "Debbie" is giving good pen on 6D while "Paul" is cutting out over 2 decks, stay away from him, is information of value to your colleagues that is not likely to hurt the opportunity.

.

I do think, however that certain basic information disseminated on this forum would be quite useful given the following parameters: Nothing wrong with telling others about the existence of particular games e.g. Bellagio has 6 SD tables 3:2 BJ. Table mins are $25-max $1000. This can save a lot of valuable time to the AP especially when time there is short. It can take 15-20 mins in Vegas just to get from one house to the other, not to mention prowling around the casino to various pits.
Things like pen. and heat can be determined while there as these can vary shift to shift, as well as current # of players.